So I may be hopelessly behind (as usual), but here goes, in the unlikely event anyone wants to read all of these LOL!

1. Mom launched me the same day the Russians (excuse me, the Soviets) launched Sputnik. You can figure out how old that makes me…..heh heh!

2. I love chocolate. Why waste your calories on other desserts when you can have chocolate?

3. I was 28 pounds overweight. I am now 14 1/2 pounds overweight. That means (a) I’ve been working hard at getting rid of the fat for the past 5+ months, and am determined to get the rest off before menopause hits and it becomes impossible. It also means (b) shrieeeeeekkkkkkk…that I’ve only had chocolate twice in the past five months.

4. When I found quilting (in 1988) I was elated…at last a way to marry two of my favorite things, art and sewing.

5. Mrs. Hoffman, my art teacher in high school, was bummed when I had to cut out an elective (I was one of those horrid over-achievers…when five academics and one elective were the norm, I took seven academics, two electives, plus piano, ballet, and did a couple of sports–the latter rather poorly) and chose to stay in sewing instead of art. That was an awfully nice way for her to react–thank you Mrs. Hoffman!

6. I thought for years I’d never have kids….hubby didn’t want them. At 35, I figured even if I tried to start over, by the time I found someone, I’d be too old. Heh heh…Mother Nature has a wonderful sense of humor and irony and out-maneuvered hubby. I had my first son at age 36, my second when I was 40. My body (see number 3) is still recovering from that last pregnancy. That’s OK!

7. I like myself and my body a whole lot better now than I did 20 years ago.

8. I always wanted to do a degree in Literature (probably comparative or world lit, not just English), but bowed to my parent’s pressure and majored in Humanities in International Affairs at Georgetown Univ.

9. I used to commute to work by bike (at the US State Department), but haven’t been on my bike much since quitting my job / “career” (which I didn’t much like) as a Foreign Service Officer. I’d like to get back into riding my bike next spring. Shockingly enough, I might even like to go back to the Foreign Service some day—after Eli is out of school in 11 years—and get my full pension and travel to some remote corners of the world one more time before I settle down for good.

10. After college, I took photos as a creative outlet. Now, I’m using some of those…and some of the artistic penchants I developed then….in my work now.

11. I’m not a night person. I’m not a morning person. I’m a DAY person…get up when it is beginning to be light. Don’t stay up ’til all hours.

12. I drink tea. Coffee tastes like swill (sorry all you coffee drinkers– to each his own!), unless it is espresso, preferably in hot milk…cafe au lait, cappuccino, caffe latte…..you get the idea here…. oh yeah…coffee ice cream rocks, especially when drowning in hot fudge (see number 2).

13. The world is not black and white, so neither was my photography, nor is my art. There may be many shades of gray (can you tell I’m a Libra?), but I’d rather do COLOR COLOR COLOR!

14. I’m a cat person. I don’t think I’m a dog person, which I know is due to having the canine horse, Yeti, (the 149 pound Tibetan Mastiff) in the house. Of course, I might like dogs more if the one in our house weren’t so dang huge. Good thing he’s terminally sweet. Dumber than a dirtclod, hubby says (accurately), but sweet.

15. Books are about as essential to life as breathing….the worst part about raising two kids on hubby’s pension (besides not having new clothes or money to travel) is not being able to afford to buy books at will….. I’m finding lately that many of my quilt ideas are now coming from books…translating the imagery in my head into cloth…..

16. Sheesh…is anyone ever going to get this far? Why? ummm….. OK, I have sparkles and crinkles. Other folks may call them gray hair and wrinkles, but I earned each and every one of them, I’m proud of them, and have no intention of ever disguising them. Plus, after lo these many years seeking the perfect perm, my hair now (!!!!) of its own accord curls exactly perfectly!

17. Besides color and cloth, my favorite thing in the studio is thread. I must have easily 400 spools, and need more. Yep, need!

18. I’ve been married 22 years, and neither of us is yet in jail for homicide. Yet. Since the boys are 12 and 7 and not self-supporting, we’ll likely stay out of jail a few years longer…..but if he tries to introduce another canine horse into the household, all bets are off.

19. Before I die, I will visit:

Australia and New Zealand
The ruins of Great Zimbabwe
and eat shrimp in Mozambique

20. Sometimes I feel like a “pretender”….how can it be that me, little old me, with just my “stuff”, in these great quilt shows. I’m not really anywhere near as good as the others, but I’d still love to get in, and maybe even someday be good enough to win a prize. I figure that means I have to be good AND be lucky in the judges. When I visit the big shows, it seems to me that at least half of the entries could reasonably be a winner, and often I like quilts that didn’t win better than the ones that did. But I’d still, someday, love to be that good. So I guess I’d better stop blogging and blathering on about myself and get back to work. Time to sketch an anemone, a seagull, and a parrot fish….

Hi all! On one of my e-lists, June Underwood posted a link to an interview with Michael James. Be forewarned, it is loooonnnngggg, but it is so fascinating I can see why she stayed up past her bedtime to finish reading it! The interview was conducted on Jan. 4 and5, 2003, and covers his life, from growing up in a large French-Canadian Catholic family in New Bedford, Mass., to the date of the interview, including his current work printing on fabric. To be honest, I haven’t read the whole thing yet, but it looks so promising that I wanted to share….and log the url somewhere that I can find it! Now, back to reading…..

Deborah, also on the artful quilters ring, introduced me today to Dahlov Ipcar. This nearly 88 year old woman is still producing fantastic art…. and a comment about her work could be done in cloth reminded me of having that same reaction to Tony Abeyta.

Abeyta has several pieces that look to me like they could easily be art quilts: Magpies and Trio
are the first two artworks I’ve ever printed off the computer (I’m careful with those expensive ink cartridges!), and still have them pinned to my design wall for inspiration. Rememberance #18 isn’t my cup of tea, but tell me that isn’t a quilt in paint? and Four Figures makes me think of Michele Hardy’s colorfields pieces. And just because I love them, Intimate Place #1 and Procession make me think of Gustav Klimt’s shimmery works…..but somehow I find more soul in Abeyta’s works….

Now, time to work….

Well…saw this post on Gabrielle’s blog, so decided to take the “test.” Seems we are twins. For the record, I do not have red hair…I have increasing amounts of white, which I earned—each and every strand of it. Those are my “sparkles.” And somehow I never, ever thought of myself as “earthy!” or the earth mother type. On the other hand…..yellow IS my favorite color!

Your Element is Earth

Your power color: yellow Your energy: balancing Your season: changing of seasons Dedicated and responsible, you are a rock to your friends. You are skilled at working out even the most difficult problems. Low key and calm, you are happiest when you are around loved ones. Ambitious and goal oriented, you have long term plans to be successful.